Irish Deaf Women make history!
Ms. Frankie Berry (National Chaplaincy for Deaf People) and Mrs. Maura Buckley
(Catholic Institute for Deaf People) both made history last month by chairing a
session and delivering a key presentation in the New Synod Hall, in the Vatican,
Rome during the 24th International Conference hosted by the Pontifical Council for
Health Care Workers. Frankie Berry was possibly the first Deaf Woman ever to chair
a session at an international conference in the Synod Hall.
The Conference which took place from the 19th -21 November was entitled
Ephphatha! The Deaf Person in the Life of the Church
It was a unique opportunity for members of the Deaf Community from all
over the world who are involved in the life and work of the Catholic Church to
address the leaders of the Church and to enlighten them on sociological,
psychological, medical, familial and especially pastoral realities of deaf
people as members of the Church.
The Conference was hosted by Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski who is the President of
the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers and was attended in the course of
the three days by cardinals, bishops and clerical represents from the Vatican and
from around the world as well as government and diplomatic representative from
various countries.
Maura Buckley addressed the topic of "The Family and Deaf People in the
Life of the Church." Her thought provoking, courageous and moving treatment
of this topic was enthusiastically received by the participants at the conference.
Ireland was strongly represented among those chosen by the Pontifical Council
to present and chair the different sessions of the three day conference.
Fr. Gerard Tyrrell (Director of NCDP) chaired the opening session of the conference.
Ms. Veronica White (Kerry) & Ms. Denise Flack (Belfast) from the NCDP
supplied interpreting and translating services.
Fr. Joe Jones (former National Director of the National Chaplaincy for
Deaf People and member of the board of the Catholic Institute for Deaf
People) was also invited to attend.
It was a wonderfully rich gathering of talented and accomplished Deaf
and Hearing members of the Church whose involvement, initiatives
and experiences in their Deaf Communities and their local churches
had much to offer by way of insight and advice to those in Leadership
in the Church.
The success of the conference will be judged on the response in the
future of the hierarchy in promoting and encouraging access and full
participation of members of the Deaf Community in the Life of the Church.
The signs of growth in awareness by this office of the Institutional
Church were encouraging from the final statement: And I quote,
"By organizing this Conference devoted to the Deaf Person in the life
of the Church, the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Workers has
intended to send a strong message so as to underline the fact that the
problems experienced by Deaf people, living members of the Church,
deserve attention as was stressed by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI,
during the Papal audience granted to the participants of this XXIV
International Conference, with these words:
"You are not only the recipients of the announcement of the Gospel
message, but are, by full right, also the agents, by virtue of your Baptism"
